Hyundai's Genesis sub-brand breaks world record with 3,281 drones
Hyundai-owned Genesis made a spectacular entrance into China with a record-breaking publicity stunt. The Korean car maker flew 3,281 drones in close formation to display its logo on the Shanghai skyline on March 29. This feat not only publicized the Genesis's logo, but it also entered the company in the Guinness World Record book for simultaneously flying the most unmanned aerial vehicles.
Drone show marks Genesis's entry into China's luxury car market
China is a major market for luxury car makers and therefore of great interest to Hyundai's 13-year-old Genesis sub-brand focusing on high-end cars. Genesis's latest publicity stunt is a substantial improvement over the erstwhile world record holder Damoda Intelligent Control Technology Co., which had flown 3,051 drones in September 2020, also in China. Meanwhile, Intel's 2018 record-breaking attempt in California comprised 2,066 synchronized drones.
Genesis's drone show lacks 3D splendor of Damoda's 2020 record
Although Genesis used a significantly larger number of drones for the record, it pales in comparison to the complexity and artistic merit of Damoda's 2020 attempt with fewer drones. Genesis's drone show takes a largely 2D approach by leveraging the UAV formation to render flat images. Damoda's drone cluster, on the other hand, created spectacular 3D renditions of the globe and satellites.
What makes drones ideal for such aerial shows?
Notably, as opposed to single-rotor R/C helicopters, drones are quad-rotor aerial vehicles that are inherently stable by design, while striking a good balance between maneuverability, speed, and stability. This makes them ideal for such shows. However, the true complexity in these endeavors lies in the control automation aspect, which uses AI sub-routines as a major part of achieving such feats.
Drone shows pay rich dividends due to near-certain press coverage
Intel has been at the forefront of such drone shows with a 2018 record-breaking attempt in California and another one in the same year for the South Korean Winter Olympics event. While such attempts are expensive, they offer great returns on investment to big brands by the virtue of guaranteed press coverage that sets them apart from similar localized promotional events.
